Recently, I was asked to assist in obtaining an F1 visa for a housekeeper for an E7 visa holder.
The requester, an Australian of Korean descent, was recruited as a vice president to oversee the overseas business of a domestic company while working in Singapore and came to Korea on an E7 visa. The person being invited, the housekeeper, had been helping the requester's family since they lived in Singapore.
The requester's wife was unable to perform household tasks due to cervical radiculopathy, and their children, who attend an international school, do not speak Korean, necessitating an English-speaking housekeeper. Thus, they decided to invite the Indonesian housekeeper who had been assisting their family abroad.
The housekeeper visa can be quite complicated and is often denied. There have been many cases where the invited housekeepers have left their employers.
Not just anyone can invite a foreign housekeeper. Both the inviter and invitee must meet certain criteria, and there must be compelling reasons for employing a foreign housekeeper. These reasons must be well articulated in the invitation letter, and supporting documents must also be provided.
Let's look at the basic criteria for the inviter and invitee for inviting a housekeeper, and the required documentation.
F1 Visa (F-1-24) Housekeeper for Skilled Professionals
◆ Applicable when the employment period of the housekeeper is less than one year
(For housekeepers employed for at least one year abroad at the time of application, application at an overseas diplomatic mission is required)
※ You can only invite a housekeeper through a visa issuance certification application at a domestic immigration office if the employment period of the housekeeper is less than one year. If the employment period exceeds one year, the application (visa issuance) must be made at the Korean embassy in the country where the housekeeper resides.
1. Criteria for the Inviter (Skilled Professional)
- Holds a visa status of D-5 (Correspondent), D-7 (Intra-Company Transferee), D-9 (Trade Management), E-1 (Professor) to E-7 (Specific Activities), or has changed from these statuses to F-2 (Residency) or F-5 (Permanent Residence)
※ F-2 (Residency) is applicable only to those who have received F-2-99 after residing in Korea for 7 (or 5) years
※ F-5 (Permanent Residence) is applicable only to those who have received F-5-1 after residing in Korea for 5 years
- Can invite if they have children under 13 years of age or if the spouse has a disease or employment that necessitates the accompaniment of a domestic helper
- Must have an annual income of at least three times the gross national income (GNI) per capita of the previous year as announced by the Bank of Korea
※ ※ Only one foreign housekeeper is allowed per inviter
2. Criteria for the Invitee (Housekeeper)
- Must be aged between 20 and 58 years old at the time of application, with at least a junior high school education or equivalent.
Required Documents
- Below are the basic documents required to invite a foreign housekeeper.
For the Inviter | For the Invitee |
1.Confirmation ofVisa Issuance Application -Attach one 3.5cm×4.5cm passport photo of the invitee 2.Employment Contract for Housekeeper 3.Guarantee of Identity (separate form) 4.Copy of Foreign Registration Card 5.Certificate of Employment (or Proof of Identity) 6.Proof of Annual Income Level -Withholding Receipt, Certificate of Income Amount, Pay Slips, Bank Statements, etc. 7.Invitation Reason Letter and Other Necessary Condition Proof Documents -Documents proving the necessity of a domestic helper due to having children under 13 or the spouse's illness or employment, etc. | 1.Copy of Passport 2.Graduation Certificate or other Academic Credentials |
※ Documents such as the invitee's graduation certificate and housekeeper's work experience certificate must be apostilled or verified by the local Korean embassy. If the application is processed through visa issuance (application at the local embassy), only housekeepers registered with a local agency may be invited.
For foreign investors holding a D8 visa inviting a foreign housekeeper, please refer to the link below
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